Jewish Singer Matisyahu Calls Out Celebrities Who Are ‘Too Afraid’ to Support Israel
Jewish singer Matisyahu said he is disappointed in all the celebrities who have remained silent or equivocated as the war...
The post Jewish Singer Matisyahu Calls Out Celebrities Who Are ‘Too Afraid’ to Support Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
Matisyahu performs at Pompano Beach Amphitheater Pompano Beach, Florida on August 26, 2023. Photo: Rick Munroe/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Jewish singer Matisyahu said he is disappointed in all the celebrities who have remained silent or equivocated as the war between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas rages on, telling those “too afraid” to support the Jewish state publicly that the situation is “bigger than your brand.”
Speaking with the digital media company FACTZ on Tuesday, the Jerusalem singer, whose real name is Matthew Paul Miller, at first thanked the celebrities who have been vocal in support of Israel amid the ongoing war. He then added, “And to the people that are too afraid to speak up, or the people that are putting up posts and then taking them down because they’re afraid they’re going to lose followers — and [that] they’re going to lose some of their fame or their standing — I have to say, I’m sorry for you. It’s bigger than your brand.”
Over 1,000 people have been killed and thousands more injured in Israel since Hamas launched its initial invasion against the Jewish state from Gaza on Saturday. The terrorist group, which controls Gaza, also kidnapped dozens of civilians and soldiers and brought them back to the neighboring enclave.
During his speech from the White House on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said 14 Americans have been killed by the terror onslaught and confirmed that some Americans are being held hostage by Hamas.
While many celebrities have expressed solidarity with Israel since Hamas’ invasion, others have been less willing to do so.
Reality star and Kylie Cosmetics founder Kylie Jenner posted a message in support of Israel on her Instagram Stories over the weekend but deleted the post after receiving criticism. Some social media users have expressed disappointment that some of the biggest names in Hollywood — and those who garner the most followers on social media — have not spoken out against the Hamas violence.
Matisyahu explained that the current war between the Jewish state and Hamas “isn’t just about Israel.”
“It’s about women and children being burned in the streets, being taken from their homes, and that’s not about land, that’s a religious war,” he said. “Israel has to fight for their existence. Jews have had to fight for their right to exist since the beginning of time.”
The singer added that Israel just “wants to live in peace,” and that “if all of Israel’s enemies put down their weapons right now, there would be peace in the land and everyone would live. [But] if Israel was to put down their weapons right now, they’d be abolished in one day; they would be massacred — men, women, children.”
The King Without a Crown musician concluded by saying he believes the war between Israel and Hamas will be “severe” because the Jewish state will not back down.
“I don’t think that Israel is going to stand by while civilians are being taken from their homes — women, children, elderly — and paraded around the streets and massacred. I have a feeling that Israel is going to respond in a way that’s unprecedented,” he noted. “Jews love to argue. We love to fight. We fight amongst each other. It’s a known thing. When Jews are being targeted for being Jewish, and women and children are being burned in the streets, something inside the Jewish people comes alive and we stand together.”
The post Jewish Singer Matisyahu Calls Out Celebrities Who Are ‘Too Afraid’ to Support Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.